Fic Update Alert! "Otherside of the Game"

Chapters 2 and 3 of my new fic, "Otherside of the Game" is now posted on pinkelegance.  The Muse is serenading and I hope she continues.

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It might have been two or three a.m. when they were back in Nedra’s tub.  She wanted to soak afterwards, but this time, Victor was between her knees, getting his hair washed.

“I like this,” he said.  “I like it when you wash my hair and my beard.”

“I’m glad,” she said.  “It’s seductive.  My stylist knows to spend a good 15 on my shampoo.

“Did I do okay?” he asked, his voice tentative. 

“You were amazing.  You gave me exactly what I wanted, what I needed, and how I needed it.  A++ for my gifted Victor.”

“Put your number in my phone so I can call you, Nedra.  You don’t have to be alone when he isn’t here.”

“Okay,” she said.  She was willing to at least try.  “But we will have no contact when Jon is here, Victor.”

“Whatever you say,” he replied.  He would let her needs dictate how that would go down; if she even so remotely as sent him a good morning text, he would be at her door before the day was out.  Her man was a fool to neglect her in a way that mattered and it was just the opening Victor needed to slide right on in.  Some men were stupid…or Simple Simons.

Or both.

He wasn't.

New Fic Alert! "Otherside of the Game"

Well, I'm not done with Nedra and Victor.  God bless Toby Kebbells.  My Muse loves him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Why are you here?  It’s midnight.”

“I want to see you.  You play hard to find and then hard to get at work.  What’s a man like me supposed to do?”

“Stay away!  You were supposed to leave it where we left it!”

“You left it there.  I didn’t.”

“Victor, does it even matter what I want?”

“You want what I want.  You don’t want to admit it; you have a need to keep that secret, but we both want the same thing.”

Nedra lowered the gun and sighed.  At the moment, she hated Franklin for sending her to recruit Victor in the first place.  “I told you why that would be a problem.”

Victor adjusted his stance, swinging the velvet bag over his shoulder.  “Your man’s in Kosovo right now, engaged in loss verification.  He left a couple of days ago.  He’ll be gone for the better part of a month.  You don’t live with him, and you’re not real big on having outside company other than your small circle of friends.”

Nedra aimed the .380 at him again and cocked it.  “How the fuck do you know that?”  But really, she wasn’t surprised.  The man was extremely resourceful.

He smiled at her.  “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“What’s in the bag, you demented Santa Claus?”

“You’ll find out when you let me in.”
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This fic, "Otherside of the Game" is now posted on pinkelegance.  Enjoy!

Fic Update Alert!

The last segment of my new fanfic, "Playing Pool With Planets," is now live on pinkelegance.

“Let’s talk, Nedra.  Woman to man, lover to lover.”

“We’re not lovers, Victor.  This is a job—”

“I know, I know.  Franklin sent you to get me by any means necessary and the means you chose to get me were…maybe not something he would be proud of, but it was effective as fuck, pun intended.  I’m going back to Baxter and see what this kid’s done that’s supposed to be a game changer.”

“He’s found another planet, Victor.  His transporter goes to another world.  What you were trying to do, he did.  I don’t know exactly what he did that was so different, but you need to see it.  You have to.”

“Yeah, later for all that.  I want to talk about us.  And we are lovers, whether you like it or not.  We’re compatible; it’s fire between us.  I feel it and I know you do.  This world may be a shitty place that deserves to die, but there are some things that worth keeping, and this between us is worth it.  It’s real.  Realer than anything I know.”

“Victor, it isn’t as real as you’d like to think.”

Am I done with Nedra and Victor?  Probably not, but who knows?

Fic Update Alert!

Part 2 of "Playing Pool With Planets" is now live on pinkelegance. 

"Nedra kissed his nose.  “While you were busy working at Baxter, there were plenty of women working at Baxter who wanted you, Victor.  Badly.  Why there have been actual spats on your behalf.  In fact, I was present when some pretty raunchy conversations went down regarding you.  There were women betting on who was going to turn your ass out.  Beautiful women.  Smart women.  Talented women.  Fighting over who was going to be your boo; over who was going to have you.  You have a sexy appeal that a lot of women find irresistible, present company included.  But your head was shoved so far up Sue’s ass that between it and your work, you didn’t see it.  You had no clue.  But I knew.”

He looked bewildered as she pressed another kiss against his lips. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We weren’t on speaking terms, if you’ll recall.  You didn’t know I existed, but we all knew about you.” She smiled, recalling an all-out catfight between Darlene Marsh in Biochemistry and Trielle Davis in Microbiology over Victor one Friday afternoon."

There will be one more chapter after this.

New Fic Alert!! "Playing Pool With Planets"

So recently I watched the updated Fantastic Four and was mostly meh about it.  My favorite character is Victor von Doom and frankly, the film didn't do him justice.  We get about 20 minutes of Victor near the middle and a smooth 15 minutes of Dr. Doom at the end.

I was like

The Expat Diaries: Near and Far

Since my relocation to the Middle East, I have found myself in a situation where I get to travel far more often.  Within the past three months, I’ve traveled to Bahrain, Cyprus and Italy.  I am fortunate (in a way) that where I currently reside offers no temptations in the form of shopping or entertainment.  But because Saudi is such a harsh, difficult place to live, one must leave as often as possible in order to breathe.

Bahrain is a kingdom just to the east of Saudi and is a quick 55-minute flight away.  It is not nearly as restrictive as Saudi and offers actual things to do for its citizens and visitors.  I go to Bahrain strictly to go to the movies, as I’m a fan of the cinematic experience.  The malls in Bahrain have multiple cinemas and plenty of food options other than the usual concession fair.  The theaters are huge with comfortable seating and are very clean.  Bahrain is my go-to when I need to get out of town quick.

Update

Dilettantes,

I have been a complete 'chaud this past month.  I have not been actively writing because I've been up to my earlobes with work.  I've never had a work schedule this diverse.  I suppose it's a good thing as it boosts the shit out of my resume, but at the same time I do not feel like each subject is getting my full attention.  I suppose it ultimately does not matter, as my presence here isn't going to change a damn thing.

This particular institute is akin to a can of Planter's.  It defies logic, so for someone like me, it can be nightmarish at times trying to apply sense where none is to be had.  I've had to take several steps back and several deep breaths and remind myself that my current location is temporary...for the purpose of gaining specific job skills.  But the day-to-day ranges from pleasant to ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

But I do have news.  The publication of episode 1 in my Nightingales series, cool air, is scheduled for February 10th.  I am currently in the final stages of publication and am looking forward to continuing the Nightingales' supernatural saga.  I've got a kickass new cover designed by my co-conspirators, Ankhesen and JVNX, and the cover to the pilot episode, CRASH!!! has been completely redone.  

I hate that it has taken me a year to get this done, but having to relocate from China to the Middle East put a serious dent in my writing schedule.  And I sigh in despair knowing that another relocation is coming in 18 months.  So I will do my best to get episode 2: Whispers out by the end of this year.

My trip to Italy yielded magnificent creative fruit in regards to my other serial project, The Velimirs. It's amazing how one tiny little thing can lead to something massive.  I seriously hope that my next excursion will unleash the trigger the Muse needs to unleash another book.  My soul needs unleashing.  

There will be another Expat Diaries entry coming soon, and I promise to work harder to isolate and protect my writing time.

Until then...!

2015—It’s A Wrap!!!

This past year has probably been the most eventful of all in terms of new experiences.  I started a new job in a new country, but more importantly, I traveled to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Phuket, Taipei, Manama, Limassol, Rome, and Milan.  An entry in The Expat Diaries is coming very soon.

You hope that each year brings more experience, understanding and wisdom.  For me, it also brings a bit more patience.  I have learned to accept that certain things take time and that one must be in a particular place (mentally, spiritually, and emotionally) in order for said things to happen.  You have to be able to reflect and that has become valuable over the past five years.  Living in Riyadh forces a woman to learn patience, and because things move so slowly over here, there is time to think certain things through.

A Story to Tell

It’s been over a month since I last posted, and probably over a year since I posted something like this.  My new life as an expat has its challenges, and said challenges have kept me away from my writing as a necessity.  But since writing is probably more a part of me than my career choice, you can probably imagine the slow metaphorical death I’m undergoing.  Living in the Kingdom is especially challenging in so many ways.  The only way I can deal with it is to (1) focus on my kids and (2) travel as often as possible.

I’ve said before that I’m living my dream.   As I write this, I am sitting in a lovely hotel in Rome, Italy.  I’m a block from the Piazza del Popolo and maybe 15 minutes from Vatican City.  Italy is and always has been #1 on the bucket list; the first place I wanted to travel to when I was a child.  Momma gave me a globe and I picked out the boot and said I wanted to try it on.

But then my life took a turn—as life does—and Italy became a dream, a mirage.  I spent 20 years of my life as a caregiver and caretaker to my parents.  I watched my friends go out, have fun, date, fall in love, get married, have babies, etc.  My life was different: countless hospital visits, learning how to distribute medicines, understanding the effects of ravaging diseases, surgeries upon surgeries, all while working (and later, going to graduate school).  I had minimal help.  I tried to date, but it was too much.  I knew my parents wanted me to have that life but between caring for them and working, I had no time for myself, and that included self-care.  At this time, I was undiagnosed, so my emotions swung like a pendulum. 

When Reality Hits...

When I was researching information about my current destination, I found a lot of blogs that described this place as relatively okay for women, as long as they're aware of the rules and restrictions.  The emphasis was placed mainly on hobbies and activities, as this part of the world is severely lacking in entertainment and a lot of women are here as trailing spouses for hubbies who work for the oil companies (and thus, don't have to work).  A lot of this info loosely translated to single women, but at the time, I could not find any definitive information on what life is like for singletons.

Here is the pure, unadulterated truth...and if I'd come across this information in my research, my decision to come here would have been quite different.

1.  Western women are assumed to be whores and will accept any man's advances, be they wanted or not.  A man actually said to me, "You're American and you're a woman...why not?"